


the bet (or the tale of how ong seongwoo’s life turned upside down)

by pallavens



Category: Produce 101 (TV), Wanna One (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Friends to Lovers, M/M, kim jaehwan/jung sewoon - Freeform, side pairings include:
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-22
Updated: 2017-08-22
Packaged: 2018-12-18 11:26:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 16,261
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11873382
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pallavens/pseuds/pallavens
Summary: “give me one decent reason, seongwoo. one good reason and i’ll do it.”seongwoo doesn’t even need to think. “imagine jisung’s face.”there’s a second of silence.“ok, I’m in.”(in which daniel is hogwarts' champion, seongwoo is his best friend and jisung is just done with the two of them)





	the bet (or the tale of how ong seongwoo’s life turned upside down)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [almanacs](https://archiveofourown.org/users/almanacs/gifts).



> gift fic for elle, my sun and stars, the only person who could make me write again. i hope you'll enjoy it!
> 
> also important: i took some liberties with their ages so they could fit the hogwarts setting better.

“Please!”

 

“No!”

 

“But, _please_!”

 

“Get out, Ong, you’re scaring my little angels.”

 

“ _I am not_ ,” Seongwoo replies, now rightfully offended, “and stop calling your cats angels, it’s embarrassing.”

 

“Calling a thing by its name is never embarrassing,” Daniel stares at him, holding one of his cats and showing it to Seongwoo as if to make a point. The boy just frowns, stares at it, and then pats Peter’s little head. They are indeed little angels; Daniel knows how to make a fair point. “ What’s  _ embarrassing _ is this thing you’re trying to get me into.”

 

Seongwoo sighs in annoyance, climbing on top of Daniel’s bed just by his side. The dorm is completely dark at such an ungodly hour and they’re the only ones still awake. Not that Daniel isn’t ready to sleep, all wrapped up in his blankets and with the swollen eyes only the Hogwarts Champion could have after successfully completing his first task.  _ Successfully _ being the odd word in the bunch here, because it’s not enough that Kang fucking Daniel is the champion of their school, he has to go and be successful about it. Mindfucking all around.

 

“It’s not  _ a thing _ , Daniel. It’s fucking genius. It’s Jaehwan’s idea and you know Jaehwan is fucking genius.”

 

“He is a Slytherin, Ong. He’s the bad kind of genius.”

 

“ _ Wicked  _ kind of genius. Also,” he makes a serious face, “don’t be prejudiced.”

 

“I’m only stating facts!” He slightly kicks the sheets, the way he always does when he is frustrated. Seongwoo would know, seeing as they’ve been best friends since first year. Picture this: Daniel, a muggleborn kid who would’ve had tears in his eyes the whole way to school if it weren’t for second year Jisung comforting him, telling him that everything was going to be fine. 

 

“You’ll get into Gryffindor and we can be friends. You’ll see.”

 

And that was how it went. Daniel really got into Gryffindor and stuck to Jisung like glue all throughout the years. Seongwoo had been in the same train cabinet as them, but for whatever reason at first he kept his distance, feeling like an intruder in something precious. But now it’s all good—Jisung is about to graduate in six months, together with Taewoong and so many other friends, and their little group will become much, much smaller. 

 

“Look, it’s not that hard to get. We’re both quidditch stars,” he starts and Daniel nods, mumbling a sleepy ‘yeah’, “and popular? I mean, I know it sounds conceited but it’s truth.”

 

Daniel sheepishly smiles as he looks slightly embarrassed, “It is.”

 

“So! It’s the perfect prank. _Come on!_ The prank to top all pranks, even Peeves will be shocked.”

 

Daniel stares at him with sleepy, heavy-lidded eyes, a sign that he is giving in. Seongwoo is almost begging him, on his knees on his best friend’s bed, with only the light of his wand lighting them up. 

 

“Give me one decent reason, Seongwoo. One good reason and I’ll do it.”

 

Seongwoo doesn’t even need to think. “Imagine Jisung’s face.”

 

There’s a second of silence.

 

“Ok, I’m in.”

 

\--------

 

“The plan is simple,” Jaehwan starts, looking at them with mischievous eyes. They’re all sitting by the shade of a tree near the lake and Jaehwan looks fucking elated. Daniel sighs, looking around as if to check if anyone is seeing him with a fucking  _ Slytherin _ about to develop his evil plan, and Seongwoo chuckles at him. Daniel’s so worried about reputations, but he still walks with Jisung attached to him like a nagging mom all around the school. His eyes fall on Sewoon, all nice and proper on his yellow and black robes. How the hell he even ended up with a boy like Jaehwan is a mystery Seongwoo doesn’t understand, but the world is a weird place with many mysteries and lots of strange shit. “Even you can understand it, Daniel. Don’t worry, I’ll speak really slowly.”

 

“Fuck off, man.”

 

“Ok, so,” Jaehwan looks at them, “it’s pretty simple. The point is in the element of surprise.”

 

“Is it all that surprising? I mean we’re always together,” Daniel points to him and Seongwoo. Sewoon smiles.

 

“There’s a big difference, Daniel.”

 

“Are you a part of this?” he asks, scandalized. “I can’t believe it.”

 

Sewoon offers them a soft smile. “Guess dating him also means being part of his machiavellian schemes.”

 

“Enough,” Jaehwan says, serious now, “okay so, the Yule Ball is next week. Everyone in school is talking about who will be the lucky girl that Kang Daniel, Hogwarts Champion, Winner of The First Task, will bring with him. Even Jisung was talking about it these days with Taewoong and that fifth year kid, Samuel, I guess. Everyone’s pointing their fingers at that pretty girl in Gryffindor, Sejeong.”

 

“They’re calling them the God Couple. God Daniel. God Sejeong.” Sewoon adds, as if they’d coordinated all of this.

 

Daniel smiles proudly and Seongwoo elbows him on his sides. “You’re doing that stupid face.” The one with the front teeth and dumb grin.

 

“I am not.”

 

“Stop it!”

 

“That’s nice,” Sewoon says, smiling warmly, “you two already act like a couple.”

 

Seongwoo laces his arms around Daniel’s neck, smiling brightly, “Don’t we? This will be easy.”

 

Daniel, flustered, shoves him with a little more strength than necessary. Seongwoo’s taken aback, almost legitimately upset. “Shut up!”

 

“So,” Jaehwan brings the attention back to himself, “How awesome would it be if Kang Daniel, Hogwarts Champion, Winner of-”

 

“We get it already!”

 

“- actually shows up to the Yule Ball with best friend Ong Seongwoo, Gryffindor seeker, all around pure-blooded playboy? I think it’d be pretty awesome.”

 

Sewoon smiles again. “I agree.”

 

Daniel sighs, frustrated. “Look, guys, honestly. I still have to decipher the second task puzzle, I don’t have time for this.”

 

“You speak as if you’re actively trying to decipher it,” Seongwoo jokes and Daniel sends him a glare his way. He only shrugs. “You know I’ll help you.”

 

“And it’s not like you’ll have to pretend to be his boyfriend all the time, just in public,” Jaehwan adds.

 

“So all we have to do is go to the Yule Ball together, right?” Daniel asks, eyebrows raised, a look of defeat in his face. “That seems easy enough.”

 

“Not just go together, the thing is acting like a couple. People have to buy it, Daniel,” Jaehwan says, “Jisung has been your friend for years... do you think he’ll buy it if you only show up to the ball, and that’s it?”

 

“True,” Daniel bites on his bottom lip, looking back at Seongwoo. “Are you sure you wanna do this? Act like a couple with me for the next month or so?”

 

Seongwoo shrugs, “You’re not that bad looking. I can take it.”

 

For a second, Daniel stares at him in a way Seongwoo can’t quite read. So he smiles at his friend, giving him a thumbs up. Daniel laughs. “I can’t believe I’ll lose the chance to go out with Kim Sejeong just to fuck with Jisung.”

 

Jaehwan pats his back. “Priorities, my friend.”

 

“Yeah,” Seongwoo agrees, lacing his arm on Daniel’s arm, looking at him with a smirk. “And also. I am _way_  better looking.”

 

-

 

“Ok, so. Let’s do it.”

 

“Ok.”

 

“Ok.”

 

“Fuck, I can’t believe you talked me into it.”

 

“Relax, man. It’s going to be fun, you’ll see,” Seongwoo steps closer to him, fixes his robes, “So you know the plan, right? Walk up to me, clean something in the corner of my mouth. Act boyfriend-ish, I’ve heard you have a knack for it.”

 

“You’ve heard, yeah?” Daniel straightens his back, smiling like a fool. “Who said that?”

 

“Damn it, Daniel, shut up. I’m going,” he stops, looks at him, “ _ It’s _ -”

 

“ _ Showtime _ !” They say together, doing spirit fingers at each other. Seongwoo laughs as he enters the main hall, walking towards the Gryffindor table, right where Jisung is, surrounded by people, as usual. 

 

“Good morning,” Seongwoo calls, and the boys look up at him, all giving him smiles and good mornings. He sits down, looks back to the door, sees that Daniel is being fucking obvious and taking a peek. He makes a motion for him to get the fuck out. “How’s your day going so far, friends?”

 

“Fine,” Jisung replies, mouth full of food, “except Taewoong is being a bitch.”

 

“I’m not being a bitch,” the hufflepuff replies, face tired. Seongwoo understands, he’d be tired too if he also had to deal with Jisung for years. “I’m just not going to help you out with potions.”

 

“But I need it! Please, Tae, if I don’t get at least an Exceed Expectations to get into the auror program-”

 

“You. An auror,” Woojin, the youngest of their little Gryffindor (+ a Hufflepuff) group says, staring at Jisung with wonder, snaggle-tooth showing, “I can’t even imagine that happening.”

 

“Shut up, Woojin, no one asked you anything,” Jisung says, looks back at Taewoong, “You’re being completely useless right now, go back to your own table,” then back at Seongwoo, “Where’s Daniel?”

 

Seongwoo raises his eyebrows, looks in his own pockets, making Woojin chuckle. Jisung rolls his eyes. “Not with me.”

 

“Aren’t you a funny little one,” he says, unamused. “Oh, there he is.”

 

Daniel walks towards them in a rush, sitting down right across Seongwoo. His hair is mussed, and he places food after food on his plate quickly. Seongwoo has to bite on his bottom lip not to smile. Who would’ve thought Daniel was a good actor? What the fuck _isn’t_ he good at?

 

“‘Morning,” Daniel says between bites of his sandwich, “I’m so hungry.”

 

“Aren’t you an early daisy,” Jisung says, staring at him with an expression of faux superiority, “Weren’t you supposed to be doing Champion stuff early in the morning?” he asks. Seongwoo smiles. Jisung always does this, this detour through humor, as if asking things through a joke wouldn’t show how much he actually cares about Daniel. He finds it endearing, the two of them. Found families have always been a soft spot of his.

 

“Yeah,” Daniel looks up at him, already finishing up his food, “which is why I’m eating so quickly.”

 

“If you woke up early-”

 

“Ok, _mom._ ”

 

“- then you would be able to eat your food properly. God damn it, Daniel, listen to me while I’m talking to you.”

 

“Sorry, mom, gotta go,” Daniel says, standing up quickly and for a second even Seongwoo forgets their plan. But his friend is towering over him from the other side of table, staring at him with furrowed eyebrows. Then Daniel leans in, thumb touching the corner of Seongwoo’s lips, and for a second there his mind goes blank, eyes wide. Daniel smiles. “Saving leftovers for later?”

 

“Ah,” Seongwoo replies, remembering. He feels a rush of heat rising on his neck, and he looks down, now playing his part. “Idiot.”

 

Daniel smiles wider, the way he does in quidditch games when he scores a point. Seongwoo wants to punch his face—he can’t believe he was all whiny about doing this, and is now playing all his good cards. With a quick “seeya” Daniel rushes out, leaving behind three people looking at Seongwoo with surprised expressions.

 

Ah, victory. It tastes sweet.

 

There’s a moment of silence. Jisung, obviously, is the first one to break it:

 

“ _ What the fuck was that _ ?”

 

-

 

What follows is mayhem.

 

The Yule Ball is approaching them, quicker than they thought it would. The days after the breakfast episode have been crazy, with Jisung following Daniel around, repeating the very same question.

 

_What the fuck is going on?_

 

They’ve been subtle, in a way only Jaehwan and Sewoon’s mind could make them be. Because there’s no way any of them would’ve thought of taking things slow, teasing like this. Seongwoo enjoys a good laugh way too much, and Daniel always hurries shit up. But weirdly enough, with Jaehwan’s mastermind behind it (and Sewoon’s little touches of his own kind of evil genius), they’re completely driving their friends insane.

 

It all started with their little group of friends after their little scene in the Main Hall. Jisung wouldn’t shut up for the whole day, and when in the common room later that night, Daniel lingers his hand on Seongwoo’s, their eyes meet, and then he stutters his good nights, it almost makes Woojin spit all of his juice. 

 

It’s the little things like that that get them. Like next day when they arrive together for lunch, clothes a little disheveled (which they did by punching each other jokingly in the bathroom); or even the next when they’re studying together and Seongwoo starts to play with Daniel’s fingers, much to Youngmin’s surprise, who blushed and pretended to be taking his History of Magic paper very seriously. It’s all been fun, making Daniel and Seongwoo laugh their asses off together whenever they’re alone, faces close, making up even more ridiculous scenarios for the next day.

 

It’s a day before the ball and, in Sewoon’s words, they have to go for their killing move, the one that will make everything completely believable. And Daniel is fucking late.

 

He is waiting at their meeting spot, a tiny corner right next the Gryffindor dorm, a place all of them have to go through to get to their common room. It was Jaehwan’s idea, of course, that the two of them should leave dinner earlier and then wait there, and when Jisung passes that place they should just act suspicious. It’s supposed to be easy, simple, but Daniel is fucking late.

 

“Where the-,” Seongwoo mutters, annoyed, when finally he shows up, looking a little uncomfortable. “Where the fuck have you been? They’re probably finishing dinner already, come on.”

 

“I was trying to decipher the second task puzzle.”

 

“Don’t lie to me, you haven’t touched that damn egg since you’ve found it,” Seongwoo replies, tugging on Daniel’s sleeve, “Come on.”

 

“Ah,” Daniel mutters, scratches the back of his neck. He looks around the corridor, looking embarrassed. “I don’t know. Doesn’t this corner look a bit too.... small?”

 

“That’s the point, that’s the spot couples come to make out when no one’s around. They _have_ to think we were making out! _That’s the whole point, Daniel!_ ”

 

He reaches out for him, but Daniel dodges him, taking his arm away from his reach. “Yeah, but. I don’t know, man. I was coming here and I started to get anxious... I don’t know.”

 

“What? Why are you anxious?”

 

“I don’t know. I don’t know, man. It’s just. You know,” he points to the corner, “It’s a bit… crowded.”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“And they’ll think we’re making out.”

 

“Yeah, that’s the plan.”

 

“I mean,” Daniel continues, looking around again, in that way that he does whenever he is embarrassed. Seongwoo can’t fucking believe when he sees it - the signs of redness all over his ears and cheeks. Daniel fucking Kang, Hogwarts Champion, is fucking blushing. Because of the idea of them making out..

 

Wait, no. Scratch that. Because of the idea  _ of people thinking about  _ them making out. That makes it even better.

 

He hears the sound of steps. “Just get here,” he pulls Daniel in, closer, making him almost hit against the wall. Seongwoo giggles as they crash, chest against chest, and Daniel makes this surprised sound that just makes him laugh a little bit harder. He stops himself, hearing the steps, placing one hand on Daniel’s shoulder. He tries to take a peek to check if they’re coming but he stops as he feels cold, delicate fingers against his cheeks. 

 

Seongwoo looks up and Daniel is staring at him, eyes focused, hands gentle. “Oh. I never noticed that you have three moles here.”

 

It’s the first time that it happens: this awful, twisting tug at the bottom of his stomach, this stiffness in his chest as if breathing suddenly becomes harder. No, not that it became harder, but Seongwoo was oddly aware of it, having to remind himself to breathe. He looks up and finds Daniel’s eyes. “You never noticed? Really?”

 

Daniel smiles, and Seongwoo breathes in. He had also never noticed Daniel has really pretty lips. “Not this up close.”

 

There’s silence and Daniel still has his fingers on his face, tracing slowly the moles on his skin. Seongwoo feels like there’s someone physically stopping him from breathing. Which is absurd, because his breathing has always been fine and he had always been a very healthy boy. Maybe he should see a healer.

 

And this is how they find them: Daniel touching his face, Seongwoo holding his breath. When Jisung stops and looks at them, Woojin almost crashing behind him, Taewoong furrowing his brows, Daniel takes his hands away, almost looking as if he was really caught in some indecent act.

 

“Ah-,” Jisung starts, and Seongwoo lets go of Daniel, muttering a hurried “excuse me” before hurrying to the Gryffindor dorm, heart pounding in his chest as he hears Jisung almost shouting:

 

“What the fuck were the two of you doing there?”

 

-

 

When the Yule Ball arrives, Seongwoo is oddly anxious.

 

It feels a little out of character of him, the way he feels his hands sweating, nervously biting on his lower lip as he dresses himself in his velvet black robes, styles his hair to the side. He feels a little too formal, but the mirror seems to like it, giving him a wink and a smile, telling him an encouraging, “whoever your date is, handsome, they’ll love it!”.

 

For whatever reason, that makes him even _more_ anxious.

 

It feels stupid. Ever since that little prank of theirs, Seongwoo has been feeling this twist in his stomach, always making him overly aware, attentive, as if his skin suddenly became oversensitive, always on edge, waiting for something even though he couldn’t pinpoint what it was. 

 

He hears the creak of the door opening. “Yo, you ready?” Seongwoo turns around, already knowing who he’ll face without even looking. He stops, stares. Kang Fucking Daniel, Hogwarts Champion, Winner of the First Task, His Best Friend, looks out of this world. Blond hair pushed back, robes the color of wine, the sort of color that looks black but when the light hits  _ just _  right shows its true color. Seongwoo feels slightly uneasy because he feels that odd pain in his chest again. Maybe he really should see a healer. 

 

“Almost,” Seongwoo replies after a while, walking towards his bedside table and finding his cologne. He puts it on quickly, and when he turns back Daniel is staring at him, looking a little lost, a little stupid. Seongwoo laughs. “Are you ok?”

 

“Yeah,” Daniel replies as if out of a daze. Seongwoo walks towards him, looking at him. Daniel clears his throat. “You look good, mate.”

 

His smile widens—Daniel really has that “acting like a boyfriend” act down like a second skin. Well done. “I know,” he replies, looks at him up and down, “You look ok, I guess.”

 

“Asshole,” a light-hearted punch, a smile. They’re ready.

 

-

 

As they wait in line, with the Champions of Beauxbaton and Durmstrang in front of them, it’s probably the first time Seongwoo actually questions what the fuck they’re actually doing. He shakes his legs anxiously and Daniel looks at him, half a smile on his face, that shit-eating grin that always makes Seongwoo want to punch him.

 

“Nervous?” he asks, “I thought you were all excited for this.”

 

“I am,” Seongwoo whispers back, “I just didn’t know we would be doing such a public entrance.”

 

“Being the date of the Champion has its perks,” Daniel winks, and Seongwoo pretends to puke. They laugh, and the door opens. Daniel offers him his arm, raises his eyebrows, and gives him that front-tooth smile that still looks stupid as fuck. “It’s-,” he starts, and Seongwoo laughs.

 

“ _ Showtime _ ,” they whisper together and then enter the Main Hall.

 

The place is completely unrecognizable, with the house tables completely gone and the floor white as snow. Around them there were round tables lit with candles, small, colorful lights flying everywhere like small fairis. Above them the sky was dark and it was snowing beautifully. It takes him by surprise, to the point that for a while, he doesn’t hear the loud gasps.

 

But there are gasps. All around the room. The girls have their hands on their mouths, some of them even starting to cry. The smile that spreads on Seongwoo’s lips is the one of a man who’s won sweet victory, but to the public, right on Daniel’s arm, his smile could’ve seemed like one of simple joy. He sees Jisung in the crowd, his eyes wide open, Taewoong running in his direction with a chair so he can sit down. Seongwoo cackles, looks at Daniel, who is obviously also fighting against laughter. 

 

They come to a stop in the middle of the room and Seongwoo looks at Daniel, who seems completely ok with it, as if he’s been expecting all this. The Principal starts talking, something along the lines of welcoming everyone to their ball and god knows what else—Seongwoo is barely paying any attention. He’s too busy feeling Daniel’s arms around his, with the whole school paying attention to them. He meets Jaehwan’s eyes, who smiles and winks, and Sewoon smiling by his side. Seongwoo keeps his straight face - the straight face worthy of the man who is the date of the protagonist of the night. 

 

They dance like they’re supposed to, parade around like they’re supposed to and soon enough they’re free to go, holding hands as they walk around the ballroom towards the table filled with their friends. They don’t sit down - Daniel leads him right to Jisung’s place, stopping by his side, smiling at his best friend.

 

“So, guys. I guess this will come as a surprise but,” he starts and Seongwoo looks down, smiling shyly, “Seongwoo and I are dating.”

 

There’s silence.

Jisung slams his palm at the table.

 

“What the hell?”

 

-   
  


The air is cold, a little bit too cold for Seongwoo’s liking, but for now he doesn’t mind it. The sweetness of the honey mead they just had and its heat keeps him warm as he and Daniel run side by side, hand on hand. The garden has been turn into a small maze, beautiful with blue and white roses framing its green, leaf-made walls. They stop when they reach a safe space: a small haven with a white bench and a small ice fountain on the other side. 

 

They breath in. And when they look at each other again, they can’t help it,, laughing, almost having to bend down on their knees.

 

“Did you see Jisung’s face?” Daniel says, face red and all, “Taewoong had to find him a damn chair.”

 

“It was iconic,” Seongwoo says, wiping the tears away from his eyes, “It was the most beautiful scene I’ve ever seen. I wish we could’ve recorded it in one of those muggle phones you have so we could replay it forever.”

 

“At least we have it stuck in our eyelids so whenever we close our eyes we can see it again.”

 

Another laugh explosion, Seongwoo looks back at him. “We’ll never top this. We just peaked.”

 

“Maybe we should be sad we’re peaking in school, but you know what? That’s a nice peak.”

 

“The best, mate. The goddamn best.”

 

They laugh again, remembering Jisung’s shocked face and Donghyun’s little sounds of surprise. Seongwoo looks at Daniel, who is also staring at him now, that stupid smile on his face. It just occurs to him, with awe, and a sharp pain in his chest, that they’re holding hands again. He doesn’t remember it though, doesn’t remember who held it first or when they started holding hands. It scares him a bit, surprises him - since when has holding Daniel’s hand become such a commonplace that he doesn’t even notice?

 

He’s about to break them apart when he hears sounds of laughter. Instead of letting go of him, he makes the distance between them smaller, staying right by Daniel’s side. Just as he thought, the group of people approaching them is none other than their own friends: Jisung and the whole crew, all looking at them with that expression of curiosity, mixed with surprise, and a little bit of horror.

 

“Oh,” Jaehwan is the first one to talk, arms crossed over his deep green robes. A snake all around. “Seems like we’re disrupting the couple’s private moment.”

 

“We should just go,” Sewoon continues, as if they’re perfectly synchronized. Seongwoo gets his cue.

 

“Yes,” he says, leans against Daniel’s arm, “you should just go.”

 

Jisung crosses his arms, looks at them. “I don’t buy it,” he says, then looks directly and only at Daniel, “Did you hear me? I don’t buy it.”

 

“Yeah?” Daniel asks, looking at him lazily, “So?”

 

“Are you lying to me?”

 

“Merlin, no,” Daniel replies and for a second there, he almost slips. He’s way too stiff, unnatural in the way he speaks. Seongwoo knows very well why: Daniel is just not the lying type, or more specifically, he’s not one to lie to Jisung, of all people, when he gets called out. He can omit all he wants, play pranks all he wants, but when directly confronted, he gets all messed up. “I mean. Of course not.”

 

“Why is it so hard to believe we are together?” Seongwoo asks, and Jaehwan nods.

 

“Yeah, Jisung. Don’t be an overprotective mother hen,” he says, “It’s not that unbelievable that Daniel dates.”

 

Jisung doesn’t move, still with his arms crossed, having a stare down with Daniel, as if no one else is around them. He squints his eyes, straightens his back. Seongwoo gets kind of scared, heart beating a little faster

 

“Ok,” Jisung finally says, “so you two are dating. Sure,” he makes a gesture with his hand towards them, like some sort of muggle magician showing up a new trick, “Prove it, then. Kiss.”

 

“What?” Daniel almost shrieks, and Sewoon gasps. The whole group of boys react around them, one more scandalized than the other. Except for Jaehwan who just crosses his arms, an amused smile on his face. The fucking snake. Seongwoo shoots Jisung an incredulous look. “You’re kidding me, right?”

 

“Why would I be kidding?” Jisung asks, eyebrows raised, “What’s the big deal with kissing your _boyfriend_ , Daniel?”

 

The panic is imminent, as is the curiosity. Everyone is staring at them, wide eyed, and there’re even more people gathering around them. Seongwoo sees Youngmin from behind Donghyun, eyes wide, hands together, while Taehyun and Sungwoon look like they’re having the time of their lives. 

 

Daniel, though, looks like he’s about to have a stroke.

 

“It’s not,” he starts, stutters, almost stumbles on his own feet, “I mean-”

 

Jisung only raises his eyebrows higher, and Taehyun scoffs from the crowd. “Just kiss him already.”

 

“Yeah”, “Just do it”, “Why is Daniel always this slow?” chants come from here and there and Seongwoo actually gets nervous mostly because Daniel is getting redder and redder, and it looks like he is about to explode at any given second, possibly ruining their whole prank. He looks at Jaehwan, who makes a movement with his head, quick and precise. 

 

Ah.

 

Fuck it.

 

“C’mon, babe,” Seongwoo says, his right hand on Daniel’s face, turning him so he can look at him, and they’re so close he barely has to lean in. When their lips touch the first thing Seongwoo notices is that Daniel’s lips are cold and soft, but slightly dry. He notices that Daniel doesn’t move and for a second, as cliché as this sounds and it is, the world stopped. He hears no sound, he hears no voices, he only _feels_ \- the skin of his fingertips against Daniel’s jaw, their lips locked, slightly stiff, awkward, but still as close as can be. 

 

And then this happens: a small part of him shifts, almost unconsciously, almost without him noticing. 

 

When Seongwoo takes a step back and turns around to look at Jisung with a “so, what you gonna do now?” look on his face, everyone is looking in complete silence except for Daehwi who is giggling like a child. Seongwoo can feel his heart beating fast and anxious, but he gives them his best smile. “So? Are you perverts happy now and can you leave us alone? Or do you want to watch everything?”

 

“God, no,” Taehyun whines and all of them start to go their own ways, all laughs and surprised expressions. Jisung stays though, eyes stuck on Daniel, arms still crossed, expression unreadable. Seongwoo doesn’t remember the last time he had seen Jisung this serious. 

 

“I hope you know what you’re doing,” he says to Daniel, not even looking in Seongwoo’s direction before turning his back on them and leaving. Only when they’re out of sight does Seongwoo relax and let go of the breath he’s been holding. He turns around, looks at Daniel. It’s only now that he notices Daniel hasn’t moved a single inch ever since he kissed him.

 

“Merlin. They’re gone.”

 

Daniel doesn’t appear to share his feelings of relief.

 

“ _What the fuck did you just do_?” It’s all he says, face blooming red, eyes open wide and shocked. Seongwoo sighs, annoyed. Daniel sometimes always has to go out of his way to be some sort of oversensitive teenager.

 

“Saved us? Because you were out there freaking out, mate, that’s for sure.”

 

“You kissed me!” He says, frustrated. Seongwoo would rather not think of the kiss; it makes his chest ache stupidly for whatever reason. He still doesn’t understand why Daniel is being like this.

 

“Please Daniel, it was just a kiss. You don’t have to act like a teenager,” Seongwoo replies, and it comes out wrong—a little bit ruder, a little bit harsher than he wanted. He never says the right things when he’s this defensive, and he doesn’t even know why he’s being this defensive. He just wants Daniel to stop being mad and ruining things. “Come on, it was no big deal.”

 

The expression Daniel makes is a new one to him, one he’s never seen before  on the lines of his best friend’s face. It’s almost like his face melts, loses all the edges and angles, and becomes devoid of any warmth. His eyes don’t leave Seongwoo’s for a second, and his mouth is slightly open. This whole demeanor is new and Seongwoo hates it, feels embarrassed under his stare. He doesn’t get it, or doesn’t want to get it, he’s not sure. All he knows is that he said something wrong, did something wrong, and now Daniel is all touchy about it.

 

“No big deal,” Daniel echoes, now avoiding his gaze. Seongwoo’s chest is so tight under his robes he’s scared that he’ll be the one about to explode at any given minute now. He wants to scream. He just wants Daniel to _stop it_ -whatever  _ it _ is- and let it go. All he wants is to laugh with him again.  “You’re a fucking asshole.”

 

“ _ What _ ?” Seongwoo asks, dumbfounded, staring as Daniel turns his back and leaves, not even glancing back. Seongwoo shouts at him to no avail, and a part of him even feels relieved that he’s going, relieved to be spared of his presence. He doesn’t know how he’d feel seeing that expression again; it was too out of character, too cold. Not like Daniel at all. 

 

He doesn’t want to name it, but it felt almost as if Daniel was broken. And that he was the one who broke him.

 

-

 

On the next day Daniel doesn’t talk to him.

 

Well, it’s fine, really. It’s not like Seongwoo _cares._ Not like he gives a shit that when he’s getting ready, Daniel leaves the room without even saying good morning. Not that he cares that when he arrives for lunch, Daniel is already on his way out. Also not that he gives a shit that he spends his afternoon alone, going from class to class without his usual company. It’s not like he misses Daniel’s smile, his laughter, his stupid jokes. If he wants to act like a fucking baby, it’s his own damn problem.

 

So Seongwoo joins the game and ignores him too. Not that it’s that hard to ignore someone who is obviously doing everything they can to not see you. All he has to do is stay in his place, not actively go after Daniel. 

 

However, in the end, that does end up being way too hard.

 

A sigh.    
He’s tired.

 

“Hey,” he hears, turns around to see a tall, lanky boy in Hufflepuff robes, smiling at him softly. Next to him stands another boy who barely ever leaves his side, also in Hufflepuff colors, with a bright smile to match. “Can we sit with you?”

 

“Sure,” Seongwoo replies. The library is almost empty, as it’s supposed to be on a Monday afternoon when none of them have any tests to worry about (unless you’re in seventh year, the year of Hell and Doom). But Seongwoo knows this is the only place he can be without Daniel and not be asked “why isn’t Daniel with you?”, so he’s been passing his day here, pretending to read some boring book about muggle history, and pretending not to care that it’s been more than 12 hours since the last time Daniel talked to him. “What are you two doing here?”

 

“Potions homework,” Youngmin whines.

 

“And then charms,” Donghyun continues, “We help each other out.”

 

“Oh. This is what I call a good friendship,” Seongwoo says, matter of factly, “The only subject Daniel helps me with is Muggle History.”

 

Donghyun smirks. “Well. Daniel isn’t really just your _friend_ , though, right?”

 

“You got us all shocked.” Youngmin’s eyes are wide under his dark bangs, “I honestly thought you two were just joking around.”

 

“I told him you weren’t. That day we studied together, you two were all lovey-dovey.”

 

“Yeah,” Seongwoo looks back at his book, biting on his lower lip. He feels oddly alone, and the only person he can talk about this with is Jaehwan who seems to be too busy to care about whatever complicated emotions Seongwoo is feeling. So now here he is, staring at Donghyun’s honest eyes. He’s always had this thing where he looks at you with too much trust, and Donghyun has always been the One Friend that Seongwoo simply can’t fuck up with. “Well. Not really.”

 

It comes out before he can stop it. Youngmin looks confused, while Donghyun looks amazed. “What do you mean?”

 

“Please, you guys got it,” He stares at them. “It’s all a lie. A prank. We were just trying to trick Jisung.” He does jazz hands unenthusiastically, with a face that obviously says “is that really all surprising?”. But the thing is: both of them look surprised. “What?” he pauses. “You guys bought it?”

 

“I don’t know, it’s just that…,” Youngmin hesitates, looking at Donghyun before proceeding, “You two actually look like you’re in love.”

 

“Please, Youngmin,” Seongwoo rolls his eyes, “don’t be ridiculous.”

 

“I’m not?” He says, eyebrows raised, “I mean. You were always together. And you two looked at each other in a-”

 

“It’s called acting my dude,” he laughs nervously, stops this nonsense. Donghyun is looking at him in a way that makes him feel self-concious. “I mean. It’s all a lie. Bullshit. So don’t tell Jisung.”

 

They exchange a look, seemingly unconvinced. Youngmin and Donghyun always seem to communicate through telepathy, to the point that Seongwoo even wonders if the two of them are legilimens. 

 

“Yeah, sure,” Donghyun replies, looking back at him, “So where is Daniel?”

 

“Hell do I know,” Seongwoo scratches his chin with his quill, “Probably doing stupid champion stuff. We fought,” he adds when he notices their confused expressions. 

 

“Oh,” Youngmin says, looks at Donghyun, then back at him, “Fought?”

 

The gryffindor rolls his eyes, “He got all pissy because I kissed him last night.”

 

“Well,” Donghyun shifts on his place and sends him a grave look, “It seems to me like a fair reason to be pissed.”

 

“Seriously? You’re going to take his side?” Seongwoo’s outrage is obvious. “Would you be pissed if Youngmin kissed you? To prove a point?”

 

“W-w-what?,” Youngmin stutters, looking at Donghyun with an apologetic expression, as if just thinking of doing what Seongwoo implied was already horrible enough, “I’d never do that.”

 

“Don’t change the topic, Ong, we’re talking about you. I mean. If you don’t see the problem with what you did then I’m not going to explain it to you,” Donghyun followed up, as if none of that talk about Youngmin kissing him bothered him, “I’m not the one who even hypothetically fucked up here. You are. And you actually did it.”

 

Seongwoo looks confused. “No, I didn’t?”

 

“Why isn’t Dan talking to you then?” Donghyun cuts him off, eyes inquiring. Then he places his hand at the top of his book, smiling, seeming very proud of himself, “I rest my case.”

 

He rolls his eyes, disgruntled. “Because he is a sensitive son of a-”

 

“Seongwoo, denial looks ugly on you,” Donghyun cuts him off again, opening his book and picking up his quill. 

 

Seongwoo opens his mouth, annoyed at the little weasel, but Youngmin touches his hand lightly with long fingers, biting down on his lower lip out of habit. “What Donghyun is  _ trying _ to say, Ong, is that maybe,” he clears his throat, “maybe you should talk to Daniel about if perhaps you went a bit too far…. like, you know, consent and all.”

 

He smiles softly, lifting a glance towards Donghyun before picking up his quill too. Seongwoo feels slightly nauseated, annoyed, but also _guilty_. And that’s just way too many emotions for one single person to be feeling right before dinner.

 

-

 

Just as he’s about to arrive at the common room, Seongwoo stops, feeling the taste of the dinner he just ate still lingering in his mouth. The nausea is still there and so is the guilt, so well placed in his core by Donghyun and Youngmin’s words. Damn Hufflepuffs, all high and mighty, all smartasses, good at emotions and shit. Seongwoo is so damn tired of them, he swears he’s cutting off every single one of them from his life. 

 

He says the passwords, enters only to find a mess of voices as the boys are chatting. He walks towards them slowly, eyes fixed on Daniel’s broad shoulders, feeling his heart starting to race in such an out-of-character manner. He inhales deeply, and touches his arm.

 

When Daniel looks back at him and their eyes meet, his friend smiles, open and bright. 

 

Seongwoo forgets how to breathe.

 

“Hey, babe, you’re here,” Daniel places a kiss on Seongwoo’s cheek, his kiss hitting him as hard as his smile did. “I’ve been looking for you.”

 

“I was at the library,” he says, his own voice sounding lost and vague. The skin on his cheek feels like it’s burning.

 

“Library?” Jisung asks, squinting at Seongwoo with mistrust. “You sixth years don’t even have exams to worry about.”

 

“He was researching how to open that damn egg I got in the task. Right?” Daniel, almighty God-Daniel, comes to the rescue. Seongwoo hopes with all his life that he isn’t blushing. “I asked him to. You know how I am with books. And. Big books…”

 

“Sure,” Jisung says, eyes still fixed on them before shrugging and exaggeratedly relaxing on his chair. He looks down at Woojin, whose red hair shines bright against the flames. “Don’t follow his example, Woojin, you do your own research. Because life is cold and merciless and you have to be your own best friend. Because one day they’ll get a boyfriend and leave you alone.”

 

“Drama queen,” Daniel states, amused, and then grabs Seongwoo’s hand, not even asking for permission. “Come on, babe, let’s go upstairs. We need to talk.”

 

And with that, he pulls Seongwoo with him, leads him towards the stairs. Just before they close the dorm door behind them Seongwoo’s hears Jisung speaking loudly, “Talk.  _ Right _ .” Daniel chuckles.

 

“Did you see that? He’s finally falling for it,” Daniel says, holding in laughter. Seongwoo doesn’t know what to reply. He feels strangely heavy-hearted, watching as Daniel lets go of his hand and walks towards his bed, sits on it, and stares at Seongwoo, as if waiting him to follow. It’s what he normally would do: trail after him, climb on bed beside him, chuckle with him as they plan their next step. But this heaviness clings on him, making him stand still. Daniel is still smiling, but Seongwoo feels like something is off. Or maybe he’s just imagining things. “We should’ve bet with Jaehwan, because then now at least we’d get some money out of this.”

 

“Yeah,” Seongwoo agrees slowly. There’s so many things he wants to ask Daniel: why was he ignoring him, why did he get so mad? But seeing Daniel talking to him so normally stops him and Seongwoo delicately puts all his questions on hold. As if any movement would break this thin thread of ice they’re hanging into. “Though it’s fun, right?”

 

Daniel hums in agreement, averting his gaze. Quickly, he jumps out of bed and kneels down, picking up the golden egg from underneath it. He shows it to Seongwoo, now with a worried expression on his face. “There’s only a week left to the second task and I still haven’t figured it out.” He looks up at Seongwoo. “Guess I’m fucked.”

 

Seongwoo feels relieved by the change of subject, by the normality in this. Though sure, there’s nothing normal about the two of them looking at some golden egg while Daniel has to plot some strategy to not die in a Triwizard Tournament Task, but it’s still more normal than Seongwoo feeling his heart drowning every time he looks at Daniel. “Let me see the egg again.”

 

Daniel hands him the golden egg and Seongwoo stares at it closely, bottom lip held between his teeth as he opens it one more time, the egg emitting a familiar horrible screech.  And that’s when a memory comes to him. He looks at Daniel and smiles.

 

“Meet me outside at midnight tonight,” he tells him as he gives him the note back, a wicked smirk on his lips, “I have an idea.”

 

-

 

Daniel arrives on time, which is unusual. Seongwoo motions him over and the two of them stay silent, eyes attentive to every shadow. “Let’s go.”

 

Sneaking out is something the two of them are used to doing. Every now and then Seongwoo and Daniel would sneak around to the astronomy tower during the deep hours of night to watch the castle grounds and drink the firewhiskey they smuggled in from Hogsmead. So, of course, getting into the Prefect’s bathroom was no big deal, even moreso, since Seongwoo is Gryffindor’s prefect himself. They get inside quickly before anyone shows up, and Seongwoo locks it with a simple spell. 

 

“Okay,” Daniel says, looking around, confused, “what are you doing?”

 

“We’ll take a bath,” Seongwoo says as he gets closer, and Daniel takes a step back, gasping, hands covering his already covered by his robe chest, somehow looking suddenly and completely terrified.

 

“Look, Ong, I know you’re very committed to this prank thing but don’t you think this is taking things a bit too far?”

 

“What?” Now he’s the one who’s confused, looking at Daniel quizzically before finally getting it. “Merlin, you’re a pervert. I don’t mean it like  _ that _ .”

 

“Well, how do you mean it then?” Daniel still looks somewhat scandalized.

 

“I mean with the egg!” He points to it, and then to the huge bath, the size of a pool. “You put your egg, I mean, _the egg_ , in the water. Under it.”

 

Daniel lets out an exasperated sigh. “What? Why?”

 

“Listen,” Seongwoo explains as he picks up the egg, “yesterday I just remembered just a few days ago when I came here, and—you know the Beauxbatons’ girl? Remember the one whose date for the ball was a Slytherin prefect?” He looks up at Daniel. “So... the two of them were here, with the egg. When they saw me they left pretty quickly, probably because they knew that I was your friend… but since we were so focused on the prank at the time, I didn’t give it much thought...”

 

His friend still seems a bit confused, looking at Seongwoo with something akin to fear, tinged with curiosity. “But. What did they do with the egg?” he asks, scratching the back of his neck. “I mean. Do you think they-”

 

“Merlin. Daniel. Please, don’t be dense” He looks at him like one looks at a very innocent and naive child, “They probably took a bath with it or something, not shagged with it.”

 

“A bath?” Daniel looks at the pool-like bath, eyeing Seongwoo with slightly furrowed brows, “That’s a strange thing to do with an egg.”

 

“Let’s try it, though.”

 

“Ok, I guess.”

 

They undress, stupidly so, like the boys, best friends they are, laughing and splashing water at each other as they get into the bath. Daniel gets overexcited as usual, opening as many faucets as he can, filling the water with the most ridiculous amount of bubbles. It takes them a while to remember why they’re here, and Daniel picks up the egg from the edge of the pool, holding it above the water, looking at Seongwoo as if expecting to be told what to do. Seongwoo stares back.

 

“What?”

 

“What should I do now?”

 

“Merlin, Daniel, do I have to think of  _ everything  _ here? How did you even end up champion?”

 

“The hell do I know, I didn’t even want to put my name in that stupid goblet—you told me to!”

 

Seongwoo scoffs, rolling his eyes. “Do you do everything I tell you to do? Then, go drown yourself.”

 

Now Daniel scoffs. “Are you stupid?”

 

“Are _ you _ ?”

 

“Jesus, Ong, you’re the one that brought me here! What am I even supposed to do with this stupid egg now?” Daniel half mumbles, as he throws the egg in the water because he never thinks. But then, the egg opens and the melody that comes is almost inaudible from above, and the two of them look at each other, eyes wide with shock. “Why isn’t it screaming?”

 

“Is this a song?” Seongwoo asks, and as soon as their eyes meet, they act almost in sync, diving into the pool. Underwater, the sound that comes from the egg is not the familiarly horrifying, terrible screeching, that sounds a lot like Daewhi when he’s throwing a fit. No. The voices that flowed out were now in sync, singing a song, their melody perfectly heard underwater, repeating again and again. When Seongwoo goes back up for air, Daniel is already out of water, eyes sparkling, looking at Seongwoo with excitement.

 

“Did you hear the lyrics?”

 

“ ‘ _ Come and seek us where our voices sound _ ,’ ” Seongwoo echoes from memory, closing his eyes so he can think more clearly. “Underwater. You’ll have to stay underwater. What did they say, one hour? So, an hour long?”

 

“So the task will be where? The lake?” Daniel asks, running fingers through damp blond hair.

 

“Where else?” Seongwoo asks, bites on his lips, “What else did they say? ‘ _ We’ve taken—’  _ ”

 

“ ‘ _ —what you’ll surely miss, _ ’ ” Daniel completes, and then his expression turns dark and worried. “Ong. They’re gonna take my broom!”

 

“Fuck. No. They wouldn’t  _ dare _ ,” Seongwoo gasps, sharing his horror, “You’ll have to win, then. Didn’t you work a year to buy that Firebolt?”

 

“ _ Two years _ , and Jisung helped me in the end, too. No. They can’t do this to me.”

 

“Calm down man, we still don’t know if they’re actually going to take your broom.” Once again, Seongwoo is the voice of reason. “It could be anything. Most importantly they said you’ll have to seek for it for an hour. We have to think about how you’re going to last for an hour underwater.”

 

“Oh, man, you’re right. I’m a good swimmer but I don’t know if I can hold my breath for that long.”

 

“You obviously can’t, Dan, but it’s okay. I think I remember my mom told me something about a spell she used once she had to find some cursed object underwater? And if all else fails, we can always ask Minhyun or Jonghyun; I mean, they’re probably in Ravenclaw for a reason.”

 

“How aren’t you in Ravenclaw though?” Daniel asks, offering Seongwoo a fond smile, proud, as if Seongwoo is something to behold. He feels his own cheeks burning as he sits, relaxing by Daniel’s side. “You’re so fucking smart!”

 

Seongwoo laughs. “Well, the Hat did try to put me there. But I asked to go to Gryffindor.”

 

“Wait, why?” Daniel closes the egg, puts it back on the pool’s edge. His question is amiable, curious, as if they’d never talked about it.

 

“You know why. I wanted to stay in the same house as you. And you just went to Gryffindor, so where was I supposed to go?” _I wanted to be with you_ , he thinks, and there’s a small, sharp pang in his chest. It hurts, and when Daniel looks at him there’s a softness in his eyes that makes it hurt even more, dull and suffocating. “I mean. You’re my best friend.”

 

“I wasn’t back then, though,” Daniel says, low and soft, expression unreadable. There’s a pause. “I’m glad you’re not a Ravenclaw, then.”

 

The silence that follows is one that Seongwoo has shared with many, many people, mostly with boys that he had dated. The silence is felt rather than heard, sticky and uncomfortable. However, it’s a silence that he’s never shared with Daniel, so he has no idea how to break it, nor any idea of what to say. He looks back, watching as Daniel plays with the bubbles, his expression serious, thoughtful. And the question that comes to his mind and is not something that should be asked, at least not if Seongwoo wants things to stay as they are right now, quiet and unchanging. All he has to do is to stay away from this thin, frail line they that had drawn, that he had drawn, but he crosses it anyway. For such a smart kid, Seongwoo has a hard time acting smart.

 

“Why did you get so mad at the Ball?” he asks, and he can see Daniel stiffening, “after I kissed you?”

 

Daniel breathes out unsteadily, as if he’s been holding it for a while, eyes fixated on the water in front of him. Seongwoo is uncharacteristically patient, waiting for a second too long as his heart races in his chest stupidly. When Daniel finally moves, he just shrugs, speaking as if it’s nothing, “I don’t know.”

 

He’s lying.

 

“You don’t know?”

 

“Yeah. I don’t know.”

 

Seongwoo turns around, watching as water drops fall from Daniel’s wet bangs. “You’re lying to me.”

 

“I’m not.”

 

“You are. You’re hiding something from me.”

 

Daniel shifts uncomfortably in his place, looking as if he’s about to bolt. But then he stops and glances back at Seongwoo. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

 

“Why?”

 

“I just don’t want to!”

 

“Merlin, you’re so stubborn,” Seongwoo says, crosses his arms, “Why is it so hard to talk about? Do you like me or something?”

 

The silence that follows is deafening. Seongwoo doesn’t even know how the words leave his mouth so easily. For a second, he doesn’t even look at Daniel, and then feels foolish. How many times have they teased each other like that? His friendship with Daniel is easy and comfortable—or at least it used to be. So he looks up, ready to laugh it off, but what he finds gets him off guard: Daniel is looking at him, eyes dark, mouth not quite closed. He opens it as if to speak and then closes it again, biting on his lower lip as if to stop himself from saying something impulsively. Seongwoo’s skin tingles, like exposed wire and electricity runs all through him, through them, connecting them in this tense way. He feels more than he sees Daniel’s gaze fixate on his own lips and then back to his eyes, a slight shiver that goes through Daniel’s body. 

 

He doesn’t even notice when he does it—he leans in, tries to get closer. Seongwoo closes his eyes, as if it’s a natural thing to do, only understanding the implications of what he’s doing when he feels a sudden hand on his shoulder, pushing him away. “What are you doing?” Daniel asks, and there’s something in his tone that’s confused and angry, but most of all hurtIt’s all of the emotional fallout Seongwoo didn’t want to provoke. He slowly opens his eyes and Daniel is standing up, leaving, broad shoulders facing him. Seongwoo only stays there and stares at the ground, blood rushing in his ears, his heart stupidly pounding, not understanding when he lost complete control of his body. He wants to speak up, toexplain that this isnt--that he didn’t-- but he finds himself speechless. It’s ridiculous. 

 

“Don’t—don’t ever try that again,” Daniel says, voice trembling a little, and Seongwoo looks up right in time to see him storming out of the bathroom, still completely baffled as to why the hell he just tried to kiss his best friend.

 

-

 

To say that Seongwoo is confused is an understatement. He hates dealing with emotions so he does what every boy his age does when conflicting feelings boil up: he does everything he can to ignore them.

 

In the week that follows he does a lot of things that have nothing to do with Daniel: he studies, he practices quidditch even when they’re off season, he studies some more, he pretends his schedule is suddenly different from his whole group of friends and he also spends a whole lot of time at the Hufflepuff table. 

 

It’s obvious that they’re not speaking. It’s so obvious that it always makes the atmosphere uncomfortably tense if they’re around each other, with Woojin always looking from one to the other, as if he’s unsure of who to follow. It makes Jisung make awkward jokes trying to get them to speak. Fuck, Daniel won’t even look at him, always leaving when he arrives, pretending to be asleep when he gets to the dorm. Well, fuck him, really. Something in Seongwoo’s gut twists uncomfortably, but he’s intent on insisting that he couldn’t care less.

 

So he walks around school at night, doing his prefect duty perfectly, mind empty of anything that has to do with Daniel Kang. No he’s not thinking of his broad shoulders, not thinking of the mix of confusion and sadness on his face when Seongwoo had tried to kiss him again.

 

Shit. He has to stop walking just to cringe with his whole body.

 

He didn’t try to _kiss_ him, that’s absurd. He just got carried away in the moment; that’s all it was. The whole atmosphere that night was pretty romantic, and it didn’t have anything to do with having...  _ feelings _ for Daniel himself. He would’ve tried to kiss anyone who was by his side that night. He most definitely doesn’t have feelings for Daniel, well, not those kind of feelings, anyway. They’re friends. _Best friends_. Daniel has watched Seongwoo date, like, a thousand boys and never said a thing; they’ve been through so much together. If Seongwoo ever felt anything for him he’d know it... wouldn’t he? He would’ve noticed.

 

His chest aches so he has to breathe in deeply, making the aching even worse, before unsteadily exhaling, letting the air go. Seongwoo feels like he’s about to burst at any given second and he’s tired of feeling like this, of having the exact memory of Daniel looking so shaken when he tried to kiss - wait, no -  _ get closer _ to him in the bath. He looks around, checking if everything is okay. At this hour, Daniel is probably still up, so he decides to go back to the tower. If his best friend won’t be the adult in this relations— _ friendship _ and step up so they can talk, then Seongwoo will.

 

“Ong Seongwoo?” He hears, turning around to face the Defence Against the Dark Arts professor. She smiles at him. “Would you follow me, please?”

 

“Wait, why? Is there anything wrong, Professor?”

 

“No, not at all. But you need to follow me.”

 

Seongwoo squints, confused by the vagueness of her words, but bows his head slightly and then obeys. They walk through the corridors, Seongwoo just behind her, back straight, showing the Gryffindor colors on his chest. It’s to his surprise that they arrive at the principal’s door, and then to his even greater  surprise, he enters to find other two people there, besides the principal and three other professors.

 

“I’m sorry,” he starts, looking around. One of the girls by his side looks as lost and anxious as he feels. “but what is going on?”

 

The principal smiles calmly. “The three of you will be joining in tomorrow’s Triwizard Task,” he nods, making a gesture to the Potion’s professor right by his side, “It’s quite simple. You’ll be put to sleep for some hours: you won’t see a thing, you won’t feel a thing. The potion is a little bit heavy so it may take a few hours for it to wear off. But don’t worry. You’re all completely safe.”

 

“W-what?” Seongwoo stutters as a flask is shoved in his hand and he stares at it. It’s transparent but it glows slightly, colorful and bright. He recognizes it almost immediately, but he doesn’t understand why he has to stay out of it for so many hours. And how he’s even participating in the second task while—what— _ sleeping? _ “Excuse me, sir. This makes no sense. How am I even participating? And why does it have to be me?”

 

The principal stares at him for a second, almost if _ he’s _ the one not making any sense. And then he smiles, sage and all-knowing, “Why, Seongwoo, don’t you know?” He leans in, “Who else do you think Daniel would miss the most?”

 

-

 

The headache is the first thing he feels.

 

He wakes up feeling drowsy, his muscles tired, and his whole body aches as if he’s been paralyzed for days. He knows it’d just been a few hours, a day at most, but he’s not supposed to feel like  _ this _ , to feel this horrible. He knew the side effects of the sleeping potion they administered as soon as he saw it and he  _ knows _ feeling like a truck had just run over you wasn’t one of them. And worst of all—he had no idea what the fuck happened.

 

“Merlin, you’re awake,” he hears, it’s the wrong voice. When he looks to his side he sees the blurry image of Jisung getting sharper, sitting by his side with crossed arms, observing him with a mix of annoyance and relief, “Good job at not being dead.”

 

“Thanks,” Seongwoo replies, trying to sit down but not doing a good job at it. He looks around and notices the light, weak and faint. It seems like morning light. “What time is it?”

 

“Seven in the morning. You’ve been out for a whole day. Hence the good job at not dying,” Jisung says, dry, “You were supposed to wake up as soon as Niel took you out of the water but you didn’t; for whatever reason the potion worked too well on you, I guess. But of course Dan had a fit, thinking you were dead and all that. You should’ve seen his face. The healers tried to calm him down, saying that the potion just hadn’t worn off yet.”

 

“He thought I was dead?” Seongwoo looks around, “Where is he?”

 

“In the dorms, of course.”

 

Seongwoo squints his eyes at him. The tense tone that Jisung is using with him is unusual… he almost seems pissed. 

 

“Are you mad at me? I just almost died, shouldn’t you be happy to see me alive and well?”

 

Jisung rolls his eyes. “Don’t be dramatic, you didn’t even get close to dying.” He shrugs, “And shouldn’t I be mad?”

 

“What for?”

 

“Niel told me you guys were lying to me. That you never even dated, that it was all some prank you were playing on me and everyone else.” Jisung frowns in a way that is so uniquely his—half like a disapproving mother and half like a pouting child. “I think I have a good enough reason to be pissed.”

 

Seongwoo heaves an exasperated sigh, trying to move but body still numb and too heavy to do it. Everything is too confusing and complicated, and now he’s just pissed. Here he is, lying down, unable to move, and had almost _died_ , yet his best friend didn’t seem to feel the need to come visit. And now Jisung is sitting there with an expression that makes Seongwoo feel unbearably guilty. Guilty! Of all feelings to come out of a stupid prank, he feels fucking guilty.

 

“Why should you?” Seongwoo retorts, crossing his arms tightly for good measure, even if it hurts a bit. For a few seconds, all he sees is red. Brow furrowed, Seongwoo feels frustrated and  stupidly guilty.  “You’re acting all high and mighty like you never joked around before. What about that one time you made Daniel believe he was a squib because he failed in Charms?”

 

Jisung almost chokes. “That was different!” he insists.

 

“How was it different?”

 

Jisung pauses. “Okay, it wasn’t nice, I admit it. I’ve apologized, though, and I was 14 at the time. But this is different. It’s not the same and you know it.”

 

Seongwoo glares at him. “What’s so wrong about it?”

 

Jisung scoffs incredulously. “You’re really clueless, aren’t you?”

 

“It was just a joke, Jisung. Deal with it.”

 

His friend studies him intently for a second, as if he can’t quite believe how dumb Seongwoo actually is, which obviously just makes him even angrier. Then he sighs and stands up, ready to leave. Seongwoo makes a sound, a mixture of annoyance and confusion, glancing around as Jisung picks up his things, cleans his robes. The thing that gets Seongwoo is that Jisung doesn’t even look pissed anymore—he just looks disappointed as he says:

 

“It was a joke, really? Are you sure? For you, maybe, for me,” he clears his throat, “but not for him.”

 

Seongwoo’s throat tightens. “What do you mean?” he asks, 

 

“I’m not spelling this one out for you, Ong,” Jisung says, shrugging, “Go figure it out yourself.”

 

-

 

In Seongwoo’s defense, he  _ does _ try to figure it out. He lays in that bed for two days more trying to figure the shit out of it. Trying to understand why Daniel doesn’t visit him for two whole days, why Jisung doesn’t come back either. Trying to understand the look in people’s eyes when he asks where Daniel is and they all smile as if pitying him, like they’re all privy to a secret that only Seongwoo himself doesn’t know. For fuck’s sake, by the time Seongwoo leaves, he’s about to go completely nuts, his body healthy and functioning, but mind completely fucked up.

 

He goes straight to the dorm, changes into new robes, and takes a shower. It’s empty everywhere, as it usually is in the afternoon, and he stands in the middle of their dorm, staring at Daniel’s bed, wondering where the hell he could be. He sighs, looks at the window and towards the quidditch field, and when he sees it: a bolt of red and gold flying around the pitch. Without even noticing it, Seongwoo smiles. Quickly, he goes down the stairs.

 

It has been a while since he’s been to an official game, he thinks, as he walks through the field, the quidditch arena welcoming him with open arms. When they told him they wouldn’t have quidditch games that year because of the Triwizard Tournament, Seongwoo thought he wouldn’t care all that much, but now that he’s actually here, he notices how much he misses it. He misses the crowd cheering, misses the tournaments, the team spirit of it all. He misses watching Daniel fly by with the quaffle under his arms, always smiling without fail.  

 

And then he sees him right now, flying above him like a flash of light - dressed up in red, his golden hair flying all around, all messy and ridiculously good on him. Daniel isn’t training; he’s not even doing anything special, just flying around, doing some stunts like he’s a part of the air itself. It takes him a few seconds for Seongwoo to notice he’s holding his breath.

 

_Ah,_ he thinks.

 

He had missed _him_ too.

 

He had missed him so much.

 

It takes a while for Daniel to spot him, and when he does, he stops mid air, looks down and hovers there for a while, the two of them looking at each other as if it’s the first time they’ve seen each other. Seongwoo feels slightly awkward, so he lifts his hand to wave, shouting, “I’m healed,” and waits. Daniel doesn’t laugh or even react at all; he just stares, as if he can’t quite believe Seongwoo’s actually there. And then he starts to fly slowly at his direction.

 

Now that they’re both on the ground, eye to eye, Seongwoo’s hands feel clammy and his heartbeat goes up. Daniel lands right in front of him, holding his broom by his side, messed up hair and blushed cheeks. Daniel always looks the best like this - sun-kissed, bright, alive, and shining. Seongwoo feels it again then, that sharp tug in his chest, that hardness in breathing.

 

_ For fuck’s sake.  _

 

“So,” he says, repeats, “I’m healed. All well. If you care to know.”

 

Daniel presses his lips together in a thin line. “I’m glad you’re okay.” He sounds stiff and unnatural. There’s something missing, something that makes him miss Daniel, _his_ Daniel, all warm and kind even more. Seongwoo has to inhale deeply to breathe properly. “Jisung told me you were going to be fine,” Daniel replies.

 

“How could he know? He only visited me once! And to shout at me!”

 

“He visited you when you were asleep,” Daniel retorts, always the leader of the Jisung Defence Squad, “and he didn’t shout.”

 

“How would  _ you  _ know? You weren’t there.”

 

“He told me so. And I trust him.”

 

“Okay,” Seongwoo acknowledged, since there was no arguing with that. “And what about you? Did you visit me when I was asleep?”

 

The question seems to catch him off guard, and Daniel looks away. He’s avoiding his gaze, Seongwoo notices. “No,” he replies, and he’s truthful at least. “I didn’t.”

 

“Why not?” Seongwoo asks finally. The words leave his throat easily, but they come out sounding a little more hurt than he intended. This was the one question he’d been asking himself for days. “Why didn’t you come visit me, Daniel? Wasn’t I the one person you were supposed to have missed the most? You didn’t seem to miss me all that much while I was in that stupid infirmary for days.”

 

“I was busy, okay?” Daniel says, defensive, shoving his hand into the pockets of his robes. He glances down, then up. Never at Seongwoo, though. “I ended up second place completing the last task, so I need to do better in the third one in order to win.”

 

Seongwoo scoffs. “Bullshit. You don’t even care for winning, you never did.”

 

“Maybe now I do, ok?” Daniel spits back.

 

“You don’t. You’re lying to me. I know you.”

 

“Well, maybe you don’t know me that well, Seongwoo,” Daniel mutters as he peers up, finally looking at him in the eyes. And what Seongwoo sees in them makes him stop what he was about to say. Seongwoo’s hurt now, too obvious to ignore, feeling his heart palpitating faster and faster. He’s been hurt for days now, he belatedly notices. Hurt that Daniel didn’t visit him, hurt that he’s been acting like a stranger all the time. But now it’s worse. They’d never fought, he and Daniel-- not a real fight at least. They’ve never even raised their voices at one another; arguing was something that rarely even happened. And now here they are.

 

“What happened to you?” Seongwoo asks, even though he knows he means: _what happened to us_? But it’s still hard to give into this mess of feelings on his own accord. “What did I do? Did I do something wrong? Is it still because of that kiss?” he shoots, rapid fire, sounding desperate. “Because Niel, I’m sorry. I’ll apologize a million times, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean any ill will, it was jus—”

 

“Don’t—,” Daniel cuts him off, closing his eyes, “please don’t say it wasn’t a big deal again.”

 

“I wasn’t going to.” His voice comes out surprisingly soft. He studies his best friend, and Daniel looks closed off, like he’s hurt. “Is it what this is about? Because I said the kiss wasn’t a big deal?” His questions meet only silence, and Daniel looks down at the floor again, paying close attention to his feet,  “Shit, Niel. Talk to me,” he pleads, eyes not leaving him for a single second, even though it looks like Daniel would rather be anywhere else but here. “Please.”

 

It takes a while, but this time Seongwoo is set on being patient. Daniel’s gaze is still fixated on the ground as he bites on his lower lip, hand rubbing the back of his neck. He’s thinking, probably going through what he wants to say,  over and over. Seongwoo feels like he’s in a movie, waiting for the big reveal, that sort of thrilling feeling when you’re about to know who the killer is. But somehow, what scares him the most is that a small part of him knows what he’s about to hear, already expecting it. And he doesn’t know how he feels about it.

 

Part of him is anxious, yearning.   
Part of him is absolutely terrified.

 

“You said it was no big deal,” Daniel mumbles, voice low, “But. It was. I mean, it was. For me,” and when Daniel looks up, Seongwoo feels like his heart is about to stop. His best friend is standing there right in front of him, cheeks flushed, lips wet, and eyes honest and true. Merlin, no. No. No, no, _no_. “I. I like you. I’ve liked you for a while, I mean, for years, maybe? I don’t even know anymore. But I thought, I mean, I knew it’d never happen. You were always with other people, and you never even noticed. So I was okay, I mean. I was okay even with faking it, right? You seemed to want it so I was like, yeah sure, why not. But. But then you kissed me and I. You said it was no big deal. I tried not to be hurt, I really tried to but. Yeah.”

 

Daniel glances back at the sky. Seongwoo stands there, completely still, both hands by his sides, mouth partially open. He probably looks like a goddamn fool, but he’s somehow lost the capability of moving. Maybe the potion is affecting him again, he doesn’t know. But he feels like his heart’s dropped into the pit of his stomach, a mixture of pain and anxiety rushing over him. He’s about to panic and he knows it. He’s about to have a fucking heart attack and die at the age of seventeen.

 

“Ong, don’t do this to me” Daniel says, echoing him, “Talk to me, say anything. Please.”

 

When he tries to talk his voice sounds choked up. Seongwoo was always proud of how good with words he is, how quick he is at his thinking. And yet here he finds himself now: completely speechless.

 

“I’m sorry, Niel,” he says, the only coherent sentence he can string together, “I don’t know what to say.”

 

If there’s one thing Seongwoo will remember forever in this life of his, is what he sees now: the look on Daniel’s face, the way it falls, the way it breaks. The way his best friend tries to smile but fails, the laughter he tries to fake that sounds hollow. Seongwoo wants to take it back, he wants to take it all back. He wants to never have even thought of that prank, he wants to never have kissed him. The way Daniel looks crestfallen, he can’t take it. He can’t stand it.

 

“It’s okay,” Daniel says quietly, “I mean. It’s okay, we’re still friends, right?”

 

“Y-yeah.”

 

Daniel smiles, looks back down. And then he leaves. 

 

-

 

The truth is: it was a lie.

 

When they see each other back in the dorms on that very same day, Daniel looks away, mutters some excuse, and leaves. Seongwoo stands there, sitting by Woojin side who looks just as confused as he feels, when Jisung stands up and walks behind Daniel, mumbling something, voice tinged with fury.

 

It’s a complicated feeling, he thinks. To feel so tight, so torn, and yet completely unable to move. It’s like Daniel’s words have chained him to the ground and caged him somewhere that he can’t quite understand. As they days pass, things don’t get better. Daniel rarely  looks at him in the eye; he rarely even looks his way. That things are odd between them is obvious, but Seongwoo thinks that someone might’ve warned their friends, because no one makes a comment, no one says a thing. 

 

Staying in the common room becomes almost impossible to bear. He spends most of his time in the library or outside, only going back to the dorms to sleep. Seongwoo feels lonely and out of place. He feels like he lost something, but it’s something intangible that he can’t quite grasp. He feels like he allowed something precious to slide away between his fingers, just like those moments out in the quidditch field, when he’s so sure he’s about to catch the snitch and then it flies away. 

 

But mostly, what hurts the most, what he feels the most, is that he misses him.

 

He misses waking up to his face, to his smile warming up the coldest of mornings, making the day something to look forward to. He misses breakfasts by his side, already setting aside on his plate all the food he knows Daniel would want. He misses going to the library, the two of them, and looking up after a few minutes only to see Daniel sleeping on his book, blushed cheeks and half-opened mouth. He misses him. Merlin, Seongwoo misses Daniel so much it hurts in places he never even knew could hurt. 

 

_Ah_. Seongwoo sighs. And to think Daniel loves him. Of all people. To think Daniel has loved him for so long.

 

He doesn’t understand how he missed it. He doesn’t understand what signs he missed, what moments he read differently. Seongwoo wants to go back, years back. He wants to notice it. He wants to understand when it happened, how. Because he would’ve noticed, right? He would’ve known? Seongwoo is smart, he’s clever. And yet he failed to see what was right in front of him.

 

But how?

 

When he notices where he is, Seongwoo sighs even louder. The astronomy tower is empty, of course it is. At night time no one comes here but prefects in their night patrols, and he and Daniel. Or at least, in the past they used to come. Just a few weeks ago they came here, just before the Yule Ball, the two of them laughing and chatting, watching the vast expanse of ground before them, the lake and the forest. It used to be their spot, their hidden place. But now only Seongwoo is here, feeling impossibly alone.

  
  
  


Because he was stupid. Blind. Because he saw and yet didn’t want to see. Because he hurt someone he loved by being a fool, and now here he is, alone and hurting. In silence. 

 

And he still doesn’t know what it is that hurts so much. He thinks as he sits down by the window, looking down. What is it that makes his chest tighten and tighten just by seeing Daniel from the distance, just by remembering what his smile looks like? What is it that makes him eager for him, linger in places just to look at him, make up dialogues in his mind, alternative universes where he had said something different, where he never went to the quidditch field and never heard his confession, where he stayed in delightful ignorance? No, he doesn’t like those scenarios. He thinks of those more frequently, but his favorites ones are these:

 

Daniel confesses. Seongwoo says the right thing. Daniel smiles.

 

But then he closes his eyes, squints, cringes. What in Merlin’s balls is he thinking? What is he doing, sitting here all alone, thinking of cupping Daniel’s face and kissing him? Replying that he likes him too? Seongwoo thinks he does, even though he’s a bit confused But all he knows that he wants to say for certain is _just please, please, don’t leave._  

 

Seongwoo places both hands in fists by the side of his head, punching his temples lightly. “Shut up, mind,” he says, “shut up, shut up.”

 

“Oh,” he hears and he swiftly turns around. His chest is playing games on him again, making his heart twist and turn. There he stands on the doorway, Kang fucking Daniel, looking broad and handsome and... awkward. It’s the first time they’ve been alone since that day. The first time Seongwoo is this close to him and they’re still too fucking far. 

 

Daniel has bed hair, he notices. 

 

Why the hell is he noticing this?

 

Merlin. Stupid. Hairy. Balls.

 

Daniel clears his throat. “I didn’t know you were here. I thought you were-”

 

“I was.”

 

“No hooligans ruining things in Hogwarts this afternoon?”

 

“They’re all taken care of,” Seongwoo replies, figuratively cleaning his hands. Daniel smiles. He smiles. He fucking smiles and Seongwoo’s heart flips Shit. 

 

By the way his breathing falters Seongwoo is sure, completely sure, that he is about to go completely insane.

 

“I. I should continue, though. On my way. Of justice. I haveany halls to patrol,” He stands up, looking around. Daniel is still standing by the door, smile gone. There’s this thing in the way he looks at him, a kind of desperation, a sort of longing. Seongwoo doesn’t want to see it. He hates that he sees it. He desperately wants to unsee it. “So, uh. I’ll be off.”

 

He walks towards the door, eyes glued to the floor. This is ridiculously unlike him, to run away like this, and not face something straightforward. But that’s what he does: walks away with his head low, passing by Daniel on his way out and not even having the guts to look at him. He doesn’t trust himself to look at him.

 

But then he feels it: fingertips against the skin of his wrist, touching it and holding him. Seongwoo stops, and Daniel is right by his side.He makes the mistake of glancing up and they’re eye to eye. Now Daniel averts his gaze, fixated on his own hand as he slides it down, fingertips grazing against the skin of his wrist, his palm. Daniel holds his hand. The breath that leaves Seongwoo’s mouth trembles in the air.

 

“I miss you,” Daniel says, voice low and quiet against the silence. It touches Seongwoo’s skin like electricity, like fire, burning him up, leaving him in ruins. For a moment, he doesn’t know what to do except allow himself be completely consumed by flames .

 

His mouth opens. Words are about to leave him, completely unchecked, like unruly waves crashing onto the shore.

 

“Me too,” he says and the words  _ I love you  _ are about crumble out of him.

 

So before it happens he runs, hands growing cold as soon as the warmth is gone, running down the stairs so fast that he’s out of breath as soon as he reaches the corridor.

 

-

 

He needs time. He needs time like people a vacation or some time to breathe. But Seongwoo finds out throughthe hardest way that it’s completely impossible to take a vacation from his own heart—he has to make do. Daniel makes his life easier in a way; he doesn’t approach him, he doesn’t talk to him. But he also makes life harder in a way: he exists, he smiles softly, and he’s stopped actively ignoring Seongwoo, instead, just giving him space.

 

Giving him space. A damn gentleman until the end.

 

Fucking incredible.

 

Seongwoo sits by the lake, legs crossed, Gryffindor scarf on his hands. It’s been awhile since they had such a nice and warm sunny day, so he decides staying outside is the best. He stares at the water, lips pressed on a thin line as he breathes in.

 

Part of him wants to think about the fact that maybe he’s also growing feelings for Kang Daniel. Another part of him thinks this is all stupid and he should definitely not think about it. There isn’t though a single part of him, however, that isn’t aware at this point that he is falling for his best friend.

 

He cringes, closes his eyes. When did he get to this point? When did it become this obvious, to the point his only chance is ignoring it, pretending it’s not happening? Has it been happening for years now and he’s just been blind, only having his eyes opened by Daniel himself, or has he been noticing it but still ignoring it, like the stupid piece of garbage that he is? Seongwoo has no answers to these questions; he only has tears to cry.

 

“Hey,” a voice calls out, andhe turns around, finding another boy dressed in red and gold. “It’s cold out here. What are you doing?”

 

“It’s warm. The sun is out. I needed air,” Seongwoo looks back up, smiles as he faces the sky, “You need some sun too, Jisung, you’re probably lacking vitamin D.”

 

Jisung stares at him for a while, squinting; but then he smiles, sitting by Seongwoo’s side as he stares ahead. Seongwoo feels this inexplicable warmth spreading through his body, a smile grows on his face, light and sweet. He’d been so busy missing Daniel he didn’t even have time to think he had been missing Jisung too - not as much, true, but just around the same. 

 

“I’m sorry I was that angry at you back then. In the infirmary,” Jisung says suddenly, straightforward as always, “I shouldn’t have. It was stupid.”

 

Seongwoo glances beside him, staring at Jisung’s profile for a while. That’s when he understands. “You knew it? That he-”

 

“Of course I did! I’m his best friend!”

 

“What? No! _I’m_ his best friend.”

 

Jisung rolls his eyes. “Yeah, but you’re that kind of best friend. The _I have a crush on you_ best friend.”

 

Now it’s his turn to roll his eyes. “That’s ridiculous.”

 

“Ong, please. If it were you in his place, would you have told him you were in love with him? Be honest.”

 

Seongwoo stares back at him, not knowing what to say. Would he, he wonders? He thinks back to a few months ago, about holding Daniel’s hands during the Yule Ball. He thinks about the tightness around his chest right now, this persistent, odd feeling of craving that won’t let go of his heart for weeks now. He thinks about all these things and then thinks about himself, just a few minutes ago, trying to deny it all even to his own self. When he returns from his thoughts, he finds Jisung staring at him attentively.

 

“Oh,” Jisung says, smiling.

 

“What?”

 

“Nothing.”

 

“What?” He demands, annoyed, and Jisung laughs. The sound is nice and pleasant, like days spent in the Gryffindor common room, fire surrounding them. But also slightly unnerving, as if he’s the one left out of a joke, of a secret - a secret about himself, one that Jisung obviously now knows.

 

Though, now. Seongwoo is just playing games with himself, obviously. It’s no secret anymore. 

 

“What are you laughing at, dumbass?”

 

Jisung smiles, pets his head. “Ah. You younglings,” he says, breathing out as he stares at the lake. The fucking nerve, Seongwoo thinks. “You’re all so foolish.”

 

Silence follows, because Seongwoo has no idea what to reply to that. So he stares back at the lake, fidgeting. Then he lets out a question that’s been haunting him for days now:

 

“Do you think Jaehwan knew?” He asks, “Like. Do you think he did this on purpose so we’d get together?”

 

Jisung scoffs. “Come on, Ong. He’s not that smart,” but then he pauses, looking back at him with furrowed brows. “Or is he?”

 

They both shrug.

 

Fuck Kim Jaehwan.

 

-

 

It takes him a few days of preparing. It takes him a few more conversations with Jisung, and some more with Youngmin. And then some more with Minhyun and Jonghyun. And then some time more spent walking around in circles. For goodness’ sake, he’s a goddamn Gryffindor, he’s not scared of anything; he can gather the guts to just go and talk to Kang fucking Daniel, Champion of Hogwarts, Winner of the First Task, his best friend and maybe, Soon To Be Something Else. Of course he can. And yet he stops to take another aimless stroll around school.

 

But then suddenly, they’re one day away from the third task and Seongwoo is running out of time. In the end, he decides to send him an owl.

 

They’re supposed to meet here, at the astronomy tower, since  _ it is _ their place for all it’s worth. It’s past midnight and Seongwoo is standing by the wall, legs like rubber beneath his robes. He’s never felt this ridiculously anxious in his whole life, which is stupid because Daniel always used to be the person he was most comfortable around. But now here he is, fixing his hair, trembling like a leaf, hardly breathing.

 

Daniel is twenty minutes late.

 

There’s this prolonged moment of panic. Maybe Daniel won’t come. Maybe Daniel has given up in all this stupidity, found out he never liked Seongwoo anyway and should just go and date Kim Sejeong and become the “God Couple.” Or maybe he thought the “we need to talk” in Seongwoo’s note meant that he wanted to reject him once and for all and decided to just not come. 

 

“Oi.” 

 

There he is. Kang Daniel, in all his ridiculously handsome glory, with his tousled blond hair and stupid smile. The fondness Seongwoo feels right then and there is the verdict, the closure to what he’s been feeling for weeks now. (Maybe for even longer, who knows? Who cares?) “You wanted to see me?”

 

“Well, yes,” Seongwoo straightens his back, picks up an imaginary note from his robes’ pocket and pretends to write on it, “Now I see luring Hogwarts’ Champion out of his bed and making him break the rules and sneak around past midnight is quite simple.”

 

Daniel laughs, “I’m sorry, prefect.” He bows jokingly, looking up as he walks towards him slowly, one foot in front of the other. He stops at a safe distance, Seongwoo notes. Way too much distance. “But I wouldn’t be out of bed if it wasn’t for something important.”

 

“Something?”

 

“Someone.”

 

“I see.”

 

Seongwoo takes a step forward and Daniel has his eyes on him, all on him, not even looking away for a single second. The way his own heart beats in his chest right now is new and exciting. For now, he decides to just let go. 

 

“You wanted to talk to me?” Daniel asks, and his voice is low, soft around the edges as if he’s anxious, scared of breaking something delicate and precious. Seongwoo can relate.

 

“Yeah. And it’s quite serious.”

 

“I thought so. You sent an owl,” Daniel smiles, “Formal.”

 

“It’s an important meeting, Kang.”

 

“Drop the act, Ong,” Daniel says, breathing in slowly when Seongwoo stops just a step away from him. They’re within an arm's reach of each other and Seongwoo doesn’t fail to notice the way Daniel closes his hands into fists, stands there awkwardly. The word  _ cute _ crosses his mind and he hates himself and wants to die, but he also knows there’s no better word for Daniel right now than cute, so he comes topeace with that. “What did you wanna say?”

 

_ Bravery _ , he thinks,  _ remember it. You gotta be brave. _ “What you told me,” he starts, pushes on even when his throat threatens to constrict itself, “that day. Were you serious?”

 

Daniel looks adorably confused. “You called me here only so I could repeat that I like you?”

 

Seongwoo’s heart skips a beat. God, Damn it. Kang. Daniel. “No?” he says, and then, “Well. Yes. Also.”

 

“Also?”

 

Seongwoo pauses, breathes in, closes his eyes. When he opens them, he takes another step towards Daniel, making them face to face. He forces himself to look at Daniel’s eyes, forces himself to be as honest and straightforward as his friend is. He owes him at least that much.

 

“Say it again,” Seongwoo says..

 

Daniel doesn’t even flinch. He stands there, staring at Seongwoo with all of his attention. And then he swallows drily. 

 

“I’m in love with you,” Daniel says all in one breath, and Seongwoo feels like his has been taken away. He has to breath in deeply to not suffocate, lips quivering, eyes drawn to Daniel’s instantly, and he faintly wonders for a second if he’s ever wanted to kiss someone this badly, his whole body aching, craving for someone the way he is now. 

 

He wonders if Daniel feels the same.

But his question is not left unanswered for long.

 

Because his friend talks one more step forward, gently touching Seongwoo’s wrists, taking his hands in his own as he pulls him in just a bit, just enough to make his intentions clear. Once they’re close, Daniel heaves a deep breath, inhales in a way that makes Seongwoo’s skin shiver—they’ve been this close before, even closer, but it wasn’t the same, not even close to the same. The electricity that runs over them now as Daniel leans in, as Seongwoo laces his fingers with his and closes his eyes, as the distance between their lips gets smaller and smaller, was never this strong, this overwhelming. 

 

And to think that this time around Seongwoo is the one who stops it.

 

He places a hand on Daniel’s chest and he opens his eyes, looking out of it, like someone getting out of a trance. Seongwoo smiles because he feels like it; he feels fond, happy, and loved. He remembers then, something he always loved about the way Daniel looks at him, something that he never quite pinpointed but now feels is as clear as day; Daniel looks at him as if he’s special. Seongwoo finds he likes being looked that way. 

 

“Why are you stopping me?” Daniel asks, and Seongwoo laughs.

 

“I’m not ready for a kiss, Daniel. You’re going too fast.”

 

“What?” He furrows his brow, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. “What are you, a prude?”

 

“Yah, do you think I’m easy, Kang Daniel? You’ll have to fight for it.” Seongwoo says, taking facetious offense, slapping Daniel’s chest, making him laugh warmly. Seongwoo also finds that he really, really loves that laugh. He wants to keep it. 

 

He’ll keep it.

 

“I’m sorry,” Daniel says, trying to be serious. He raises his hand, the one that is holding Seongwoo’s, places both of his hands tight together against his chest. With the back of his own hand, Seongwoo can feel how fast Daniel’s heart is beating. “What do I have to do to be worthy of you?”

 

He’s joking and Seongwoo licks his lips, stays serious as he takes a deep breath, as if he’s considering Daniel’s question thoroughly. “I only date famous men.”

 

“Wait, who’s going too fast now? When did I ever ask you out?”

 

“You were going to kiss me!”

 

“Kissing doesn’t mean becoming my boyfriend!”

 

“Oh my god!” Seongwoo widens his eyes, “So you meant what, to confess to me, and then kiss me until you get tired of it?”

 

“I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of it,” Daniel smiles one of those devastatingly beautiful smiles and Seongwoo wants to just lie down for a second and die. He tries to stay serious, to keep in character, but shit, Daniel makes it so damn hard. 

 

“What I was  _ trying _ to say is that if you want to kiss me you’ll have to work for it,” he demands, getting serious again, raising one finger to shush Daniel, “tomorrow. After the task.”

 

Daniel looks adorably confused again. “What do you mean?”

 

“I don’t know if you’ve heard the whispers around town but I only date men who have won the Triwizard Tournament.”

 

Daniel smiles now, playing with Seongwoo’s hand. “Oh. Is that so?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“So if I win, that’s my prize?”

 

“Yes. Me. I’m the prize.”

 

“Seems like a fair prize.”

 

“Seems like the best prize.”

 

“That’s a tad too far.”

 

“Kang!”

 

“Ong?”

 

“You should go to sleep if you want to get your prize tomorrow. I’ve heard lack of sleep makes you a bad champion.”

 

Daniel frowns cutely. “Says the person who called me here at this stupid hour.”

 

“Blaming others for your own mistakes also makes a bad champion.”

 

Daniel smiles  _ again _ and Seongwoo melts, has to put all his mental strength into distancing himself from Daniel and then walking towards the door. It’s with surprise that he notices his heart is still beating fast, that his chest is still tight and heavy, but now in a good way, in a light way, if that makes any sense. Before leaving, he turns around and beams when he notices Daniel is still standing there with that stupid smile on his face.

 

“Oh, and by the way,” he calls, smile growing wider as Daniel looks at him, “I think I’m falling in love with you too.”

 

-

 

The party going on around them is loud and probably not fit for minors but no one seems to really care much about that. It’s been hours since the end of the task, hours since Daniel left that maze victorious as the Triwizard Tournament Champion, glowing beautiful and bright as he smiled with his trophy. The shouting and screaming and celebrating hasn’t seemed to end since then: they celebrated on the grounds, they celebrated on the main hall and now they’re celebrating in the common room. Seongwoo feels slightly irritated.

 

Not that he isn’t happy Daniel won; he’s more than happy. But ever since he left that maze, they haven’t even been able to talk alone and that’s making him slightly nervous. Daniel is all smiles to everyone, all about showing off his trophy, all about doing the champion walk. There’s another blast and confetti is raining on them again, with Jisung at the top of the couch, screaming and then jumping on Daniel’s back. Daniel’s laughing as their eyes meet and Seongwoo smiles widely at him.

 

It’s fine, Seongwoo knows how to be patient, he can wait. It’s not like he necessarily has to be the center of Kang Daniel’s universe just because he’s in love with him. Everything’s fine, he’s being completely reasonable… except he knows he’s not.

 

He’s being stupid.

 

So Seongwoo goes upstairs, to their room, just for a second. He just needs to take a breather, have some alone time after so many things have happened. That damn maze, the horrible feeling of being that one person in the stands with a stupid “GOD DANIEL” banner that Woojin made, waiting for him to come back safe, alive. Seongwoo is more than relieved that this whole entire ordeal is done with, if he has to be honest.

 

“Hey.” He turns around, instantly feeling hands cupping his face, bringing him closer, holding him as soft lips touch his. Daniel smells of sweat and butterbeer, yet he’s the best thing Seongwoo’s felt all day, their lips brushing together. Seongwoo feels his skin tingle, burning, and once Daniel breaks apart, he’s the one who brings him closer again, kissing him deeper this time, earnestly. When they finally break apart again, they both grin, foreheads touching, Daniel’s arms around him.

 

He prefers  _ this _ to any stupid party. 

 

“They’ll miss you,” he says, pouting. Without missing a beat, Daniel kisses the pout away.

 

“I don’t care.”

 

“You say that until Jisung comes knocking.”

 

“I’m the Champion. I do as I wish,” he declares, looking all serious, “and besides. I have a prize to collect.”

 

Seongwoo laughs. “I hope it’s a good prize.”

 

“The best.”

 

They laugh and then kiss again. Seongwoo likes that. Laughing and kissing—it sounds like something he and Daniel are good at. 

 

There’s a knock on the door and they break apart, both equally annoyed as someone calls them back. “Coming,” Daniel shouts, taking Seongwoo’s hand in his own as he leads him outside. But Seongwoo hesitates, forcing Daniel to look back at him.

 

“Should we?” he motions to their linked fingers. “I don’t think that’s a good idea... we should wait a bit.”

 

“C’mon, Ong!”

 

“I don’t know…”

 

Daniel stares at him. “Just imagine Jisung’s face.”

 

Seongwoo doesn’t even think. He slowly breaks into a shit-eating grin, one that Daniel mirrors.

 

“You’re right, let’s go.”

**Author's Note:**

> it has been literal years since i last posted any fic so please be kind.
> 
> also, thanks [michelle](/users/jongins) for being the best beta this world has ever seen, and for lettie for always reading my stuff and being nice enough to let me think i'm good at this.


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